Ghana court to rule on President Mahama's fate in office

The long-awaited ruling will be made on Thursday and stands as a test for one of Africa's most stable democracies.

The lawsuit by the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the country's largest opposition party, over Mahama's victory in the December 2012 election has been the subject of more than eight months of litigation in Ghana's Supreme Court.

The sometimes tense proceedings have been broadcast live on radio and television and have been followed closely across the nation of 25-million people.

"Ghana's elections will never be the same again, irrespective of how the ruling goes," said Franklin Cudjoe, director of the IMANI think-tank in the capital Accra.

No matter how it rules, the court is likely to issue recommendations, he said.

The nine justices hearing the case have wide latitude to rule: they could reject the case, order that elections be held again, or decide that the electoral commission should overturn Mahama's win.

According to the electoral commission, a defendant in the case along with the president and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, Mahama took 50.7% of the vote over NPP candidate Nana Akufo-Addo's 47.7% in the polls that observers called fair.

Marred by irregularities
The NPP claims they were marred by irregularities, alleging ballot boxes were stuffed, voters were allowed to cast ballots without proper identification, and voting documents were left unsigned.

The case's outcome is unpredictable and the possibility of a court-ordered change of power presents a high-stakes challenge.

Ghana is west Africa's second-largest economy, thanks to exports of gold and cocoa along with a nascent oil industry, which began production in 2010.

Since 1992, Ghana has carried out six multi-party elections in a region where democracy remains fleeting for many.